At the end of their annual plenary in Elmina in the Central Region,
Catholic Bishops have commended government for introducing the Free Senior High
School (Free SHS) programme, but noted that there were challenges that demanded
attention.
“We, therefore, call for a broad national dialogue of relevant
stakeholders’ review of all aspects of the Free SHS and the challenges
associated with the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS)
to find the best way forward for our nation,” they said in a statement they
issued at the end of the conference.
The bishops re-echoed President Akufo-Addo’s assurance that “Comprehensive
Sexuality Education (CSE) will not see the light of day under his government,”
adding that the uproar that greeted the controversial subject was indicative of
what should be expected when an externally imposed policy is accepted without
adequate engagement with the citizens who would be affected by it.
They advised the President against a future re-introduction of the
subject in any form or guise in our school curriculum.
Security
The bishops urged the managers of security of the state to up their
performance. Their call was hinged on the kidnapping of the Takoradi girls and
other murderous incidents in the country.
Political Parties
The Catholic clergy were not happy with the interference in security
matters by political parties; they observed that such a situation makes security
personnel ineffective.
Economic Growth, Poverty
They stated that “the government deserves commendation for the
successful completion of economic reforms under the IMF-sponsored Extended Credit
Facility (ECF) programme.”
They noted that the reforms had put the economy on the path of
sustainable growth, saying “today broad economic indicators are pointing in the
right direction. Our economic growth rate is reputed to be one of the highest
in the world, and inflation is down to single digits.”
These notwithstanding, the bishops observed “it is troubling that
the gap between the rich and the poor has grown to embarrassingly high levels.
We, therefore, urge our national political leadership to take urgent steps to
ensure equity to the distribution of the benefits of growth.”
Financial Sector Reforms
On the recent reforms which witnessed the closure to dozens of insolvent
companies in the financial sector, the bishops observed “to the extent that the
exercise is meant to protect depositors from losing their hard-earned monies,
we commend the central bank. We are, however, concerned about many Ghanaians
whose monies have been locked up in these defunct institutions, with no hope of
redeeming their investments and we appeal to the government to help them
recover their monies.”
Election 2020
On next year’s general elections, the bishops pointed out that the
principal lessons polls teach us is that no one can govern without the
sovereign will of the people. “As we do prior to elections, we earnestly appeal
to all Ghanaians to go about their preparation towards the 2020 elections in a
manner that gives true meaning to democracy. In this regard, we should all
desist from bribery, threats, violence, lies, insults and other evil means to secure
any electoral advantage,” they added.
ROPAA
They asked that issues concerning the Representation of People’s
Amendment Act (ROPAA) be discussed and executed carefully to ensure “a
successful implementation because it has implications for national security.”
Every year, the bishops assemble to take stock of developments in the country and proffer recommendations and queries accordingly.
By A.R. Gomda
